About Me

Tuesday, December 28, 2004

The Community - Background

Hidden Springs, Idaho. An experiment in suburban development, population > 600 and growing, cradled in the foothills near Boise offers many amenities that would be appealing to anyone.

The Dry Creek Mercantile (called the Merc by the locals) greets you as you enter this small town. What you would imagine of the places of yesteryear, your standard grocery items can be purchased here as well as diner items from the full kitchen. On Fridays, weather permitting, the Merc lights up with activity playing host to all the neighbors in the community as everyone catches up on the weeks events.

Across the street, a fire department substation. The crew in the early summer months wash and prepare the rescue rigs, readying for the weekend as they protect the thousands of high desert acres which surround the valley as well as the homes that reside here

Driving the tree lined streets you notice the lack of mailboxes as they are all conveniently located at the post office, adjacent to the Merc, allowing neighbors to get to know each other as they collect the daily mail and discuss who will be at the pool later.

The homes are as diverse in color and structure as are the inhabitants personalities that occupy them. Ranging in age of the mid 20's to early 80's you have the mix of unions of those who live here. Nesting parents having 1-6 kids are the norm while empty nesters, divorcees and childless parents dot the colony.

The pool and clubhouse sit in the middle of the neighborhood making access easy to all who live here. Almost always at capacity, once opened, the pool truly is where neighbors meet neighbors and the kids make new friends as they settle into the environment. The attached clubhouse has a workout room and a full kitchen for those hosting private or neighborhood events. The Club House also serves as the make shift Town Hall. Homeowners Associations, The Neighborhood Organic Garden club and several other groups meet to make neighborhood decisions here.

As construction continues across the street on the new Hidden Springs Charter School, many if not all the kids grade less then 9th attend this institution. Touted as the best school in the state, many in the surrounding valley drive their children in daily for the quality education.

Those who know Boise, know the foothills and the beauty they contain. Members of the community have quick and easy access to the countless hiking trails which the surrounding hillsides giving exposure to waterfalls (trespass required) and views unmatched anywhere else in the county.

Bogus Basin Ski resort is right up the hill (literally), a short drive down Cartwright Road, past the Hiatt Manor and below Simplot castle Bogus Basin Road begins. This road also serves as the most direct route to downtown via the "North End". 10-15 minutes puts you in the heart of Boise with little if any traffic and all the wildlife and hills you can handle.